What the European General Data Protection Regulation Means for Hostinger Customers

Hostinger is currently in the final stages of being fully compliant with the European General Data Protection Regulation, also known as the GDPR, which will come into effect on May 25, 2018.

What Is the GDPR?

The GPDR is the set of rules created by the European Commission. It defines how the personal data of EU citizens has to be used, and obliges the person or organization that obtains such data to use it in accordance with the GDPR.

What Constitutes Personal Data?

According to the European Union directive, personal data includes a name, an email, a username, an address, a phone number, age, financial and behavioral data, and more.

Why Is Hostinger Taking GDPR So Seriously?

After having examined our internal processes, we can confirm that Hostinger is already fully compliant with GDPR regulations. However, some legal technicalities are currently taking place, meaning we will be able to clearly present how Hostinger handles user data, together with how and what measures can be taken by any of our customers should they wish to fill out any kind of GDPR requests.

Hostinger’s decision to move towards fully GDPR compliance was – in addition to it being mandatory for any company operating in the European Union – customer service and data-driven. In other words, it was also based on Hostinger customers asking how their data is being used by the company.

“GDPR compliance is a must for any company,” said Hostinger CEO, Arnas Stuopelis. “Hostinger is a company that makes its customers number one, and a company that places its customer’s data and security at the top of our priorities. Therefore, employing the best practices surrounding data usage and adhering to them are of the utmost importance to us.”

How GDPR Will Help Hostinger Customers Stay Informed and in Control of Their Data

Hostinger believes that the GDPR will benefit its customers, as it will give customers more power in controlling what and how companies use their data.

From May 25, the service provider will be legally obligated to explicitly notify any user who signs up for a free or paid service and provides their personal data on how their data will be used before they complete their registration.

Whether the data is used for marketing, profiling, or transferred to third-parties, it has to be explicitly stated in advance.

The GDPR states that users will now be able to say no to certain types of data usage and will have to give consent to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy outlined by the provider.

GDPR Will Allow Customers to “Be Forgotten”

The GDPR will clarify Hostinger’s right to “be forgotten” policy. This means that Hostinger will be legally required to delete the customer’s data and never use it again should the customer wish. Be aware that Hostinger already complies with this option. However, the details of the right to be forgotten will soon become clearer.

After selecting the right to be forgotten, customer data may be used in special circumstances to comply with some legal obligations such as the requirement to keep a copy of all invoices to comply with financial and tax legislation.

Should you have any further questions regarding what the GDPR means for you as a Hostinger customer, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us in the comments down below.

Thanks for reading!

– Your Hostinger Team